On April 20th, 2012, in Yunnan Kunming, volunteers intercepted a legal dog-carrying truck, where a dog lover then paid 60,000 RMB to buy all the dogs. Some of the dogs had not had food or drink in a long time, and were very weak, and it could not be ruled out that some of the dogs would continue to die. This picture [above] shows the dogs’ cages are very small.

A volunteer cuts an electrical wire tied to the dog.

A stray dog.

A netizen petting a dog.

Upset netizens demanding that the dogs be saved.

The rescued dogs.

Netizens donating money to save the dogs.

Dogs placed in crowded cages.

Dogs being lifted down from the truck.

A bloodstain left by the dog in the cage.

On April 20th, at Kunming Wuhua District Sub-Bureau of Public Security Wangjia Qiao Local Police Station, it was extremely lively in the yard: 156 cages with 505 dogs were temporarily being held there, a big dog-carrying truck parked near, and dozens of dog-loving Kunming netizens from far and near having rushed over to feed the dogs food and water. It was because of reports by netizens that these dogs were intercepted near the Fumin-Kunming Puji toll station by local police the day before yesterday at around 11pm.

Compassionate netizens worried these dogs were being illegally transported and traded, so they called the police to intercept. But according to the police investigation, this dog-carrying truck had all the papers required, and was transporting the dogs legally.

Unable to bear the dogs being transported away like this, one compassionate person paid 60,000 yuan to buy all the dogs, so that people could adopt them. However, one netizen said: Everything they did is to appeal to the administrative department to regulate the dog meat market, to put an end to dog dealers stealing, snatching, picking, and using other improper methods for profit, jeopardizing consumers’ health and evading tax and supervision.

Worried

Netziens and Police Stopped the Dog-Carrying Truck in the Night

At night on the 19th, some dog-loving netizens in Kunming forwarded a message on Weibo and cell phones: “Stray dog rescue volunteers, a large red cargo truck with Guangxi license plates packed with dogs has been discovered on the road from Fumin to Kunming and will reach Puji toll station in about half an hour. The situation is urgent, everybody please think of ways to find out whether the source of these dogs and this transportation are legal.” With the spread of this message, many netizens from Kunming rushed to Puji toll station from various directions.

At about 11pm that night, after Wangjia Qiao Police Station received the report, and according to the information provided by the netizens, this dog-dealing truck was intercepted near the Puji toll station, and both the men and the truck were taken back to the police station for investigation.

Love

Feeding Food and Water, Unable to Bear to See the Dogs Suffering

On the morning of the 20th, over 40 netizens from the Angel Home Kunming Stray Animal Rescue Volunteer Team, Top Philanthropist Volunteering Center, Million Hearts Homeless Babies, Society’s Loving Hearts, and other dog-loving websites came to the station one after another visit these dogs.

Seeing the dogs crammed in cages, unable to stand or turn their bodies, their movements restricted, with some hurt or even dead, the netizens’ were heartbroken. They brought buckets, bought bottled water, approached the dog cages, climbed onto the truck, gave the dogs water, and even bought sausages that dogs love eating. But for the poor dogs in the middle of the packing cages, the netizens were unable to feed them.

After the sun came out, it became hotter and hotter, and the dogs’ conditions were getting worse and worse. The policemen agreed to a netizen suggestion, and decided to carry the dogs down from the truck. Some cages contained only one large dog, while others contained six to seven small dogs each. Every dog cage weighted around 100kg. Male netizens and the policemen worked together. As soon as the cages were placed on the ground, female netizens rushed to give the dogs water. As the cages were removed from them the truck, dog hair and dust flew all over the place, the small unpleasant, but nobody minded. The police station even bought and distributed face masks and gloves to everybody.

Suspicion

There Were Even Pure-bred Dogs, Were They Stolen?

“Most of the dogs were Chinese rural dogs [mutts], but there are also Samoyed, Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, and other pure-bred dogs. Some of the dogs still had collars or other decorative items and don’t seem to be stray dogs at all. No matter how you look at them, they look like dogs with loving owners. We’re afraid they were stolen.” Netizens were suspicious about whether the origin of these dogs was legal. Netizens said: “If the dog dealers can prove they’re legal, no matter how much we care for the dogs, we would have no right to hold the truck, and would have to let it go. But as to whether or not they can they provide the evidence, that depends on the investigations of the police and related departments, because everything must follow the legal process.”

By the time this reporter finished this article, 13 dogs had already died because of dehydration or other causes. And some began exhibiting running nose, watering eyes, diarrhea, and other illness symtoms. Netizens spoke with concern: “Will these dead dogs appear on dining tables, endangering consumers?”

Investigation

Paperwork Complete, It Was Legal Transportation

According to preliminary investigation by the police, the dog-transporting vehicle was a Jianghuai brand truck with a license plate with a “桂K” prefix and these dogs were being transported from Sichuan Xichang, by way of Kunming, intended to be transported to Guangxi Yulin. The owner of the cargo wasn’t with the truck. There were only two long distance drivers who were in charge of transportation only. Though this reporter besieged them for an interview, the drivers didn’t reveal the cargo owner’s phone number.

Afterwards, people from the Wuhua district Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry Policy and Regulation Department and Animal Inspection Department came to the police station. First they checked the dogs for disease based on clinical experience. They also investigated the origins of the dogs, and whether their capture and transportation were legal, and at the same time disinfected the dogs and the police station. Through the combined efforts of the two departments, it was determined: These dogs were transported here from Sichuan Xichang Mianning County, possessing the inspection and quarantine certificate presented by the Mianning County Animal Inspection Agency, the formalities for transportation were complete, they’re transportation legal, with the destination being Guangxi Yulin.

Think

Saving Dogs For the Regulation of the Dog Meat Market

At first, netizens suspected these dogs were being illegally transported, and hurried to discuss how to find a place for them. Netizens wouldn’t agree to the dogs being sent to the Bureau of Dog Keeping and Inspection, wanting to adopt them themselves, but the police station and the Animal Inspection Department did not have the authority to approve this. However, after the source of the dogs and whether their paperwork was complete had been investigated and determined, the police station decided to let the dog-carrying truck go.

But thinking of once the dogs possibly being butchered after being transported to Guangxi Yulin, many dog lovers shed tears of sadness. One netizen said: “As long as there isn’t an animal welfare law, we can’t stop people from eating dog meat. But we hope that supervisory departments can strengthen their oversight, and prevent unscrupulous dog dealers from trafficking dogs illegaly.”

Another netizen expressed: Dog rescuers should seriously consider this appeal, which is that everything everybody has done is to call on the supervisory departments to strictly manage the dog meat market in accordance with the relevant cultivation, slaughter, and processing legal legislation. Put an end to dog traffickers using stealing, snatching, picking, and other inappropriate methods for profit, endangering consumers’ health and evading taxes and supervision.

Latest Developments

A Dog Lover Purchased the Entire Truck-Load of Dogs

The sky gradually got darker, but the enthusiasm of dog lovers was still high. The police asked them to leave the police station, but instead of dispersing, more and more dog lovers gathered outside the metal gates of the police station, the streets parked full of private cars. Inside the police station, several workers were putting the dog cages on the ground back onto the truck. Afraid the police would let the truck go, some car owners directly parked their cars blocking the police station driveway. There were also people constantly posting their opinions and the latest developments of the ongoing event on the Internet.

At 8 pm, the Wuhua Sub-Bureau of Public Security police were trying on one side to calm the dog protectors, and on the other side communicating at length with Guo Xin, the person responsible of a charity organization called the Million Hearts Stray Dogs Rescue Center, discussing solutions to this problem. Guo Xin expressed his willingness to buy the dogs on the truck.

After discussion, the cargo owner finally agreed to sell the dogs valued at 120,000 yuan to Guo Xin for 60,000 yuan. Once the money is transferred, Guo Xin will transport the dogs to an appointed place, so that dog lovers can voluntarily adopt them, with the rest of the dogs to be looked after by his rescue center. Meanwhile, he also proposed to the people present that they make donations, and many of them opened their purses and wallets to offer up their compassion. However, some people did not want to offer money to buy the dogs, believing that doing so would only encourage the dog trade, producing exactly the opposite result of what is desired.

At 10:20pm, as this reporter was preparing to leave, many dog lovers were still gathered outside the police station, but their mood was relatively calm. It is expected that around 12 midnight, the entire truck of dogs will be able to be transported away from Wangjia Bridge Police Station, taken away by dog lovers.

What qualification do humans have to deprive other creatures’ of their right to life! Every living thing has a soul. if humans continue to be so cruel, nothing good will come out of it!

腾讯宁波市网友 目如狼:

Yet another bunch of empty-brained people with nothing better to do! As long as there are people in China who eat dog meat, can you save them all? Spending 60,000 to save dogs, why not use this money and energy to help people in need? Wouldn’t it be more meaningful?

腾讯大理州网友 谜:

Not going to say much, except my support for those netizens! They dare to think, and take actual action.

腾讯南京市网友 ANDY:

[These people are] Truly ball-achingly bored with nothing better to do! Are these people all vegetarians? They’re just particularly fond of dogs, why don’t they save chickens, ducks, and pigs? There are so many poor people who can’t feed themselves in China, why not save them instead of wasting their compassion on dogs? Speechless.

腾讯网友 烛九阴:

It’s a matter of personal preference, you can’t stop people from loving dogs, just like you can’t stop people from eating dog. As for those who compare the history of dogs with the history of men… it’s just that dogs are better suited for being pets than pigs and cows. As for contributions to mankind, the biggest are animals like pigs and farm cattle, not dogs. However, using violent or other means to obstruct people who make a living transporting dogs simply because you love dogs, that’s shameful. You don’t have the right to stop other people’s normal business activities. Actually, those in the cargo transportation business all have some small problems, so if you want to stop them, you can actually use any sort of reason and stop other people’s trucks. As for the person in the report that bought the dogs, that’s actually the only bit of slightly normal behavior [in this story].

腾讯丽水市网友 阿标:

I bet there’s going to be a lot of bored people again arguing and criticizing. Animal protection associations, save the dogs, netizens can’t save that many.

腾讯网友 瑶瑶妈:

As someone from Kunming, I’m very proud. But as a human being, I feel very ashamed. The abandoning of dogs and the eating of dogs are both things we are responsible for.

腾讯北京市 爱猫的小鱼:

Just saw a piece of news about a rope bridge [a recent story about some poor village kids who have to cross a rope bridge between two cliffs to get to school every day.] and now I see this, I feel I have no reasons to feel sympathy for the society. When human lives are less valuable than the lives of dogs, what good can sympathy do? Some people can spend 60,000 RMB to buy 500 dogs and some people can spend a million RMB to buy a Tibetan Mastiff, while some people drop out of school because they can’t even afford tuition and some people wait to die because they can’t even afford medical care. Some people fashion themselves as animal protectionists doing the things foreigners do, on one hand typing while nibbling on a Jiujiu duck neck [a brand of salted duck necks], eating hamburgers, and thinking about what meat to go buy for dinner after work. I’ve only one thing to say: Motherfuckers, what did pigs, cows, and sheep do to bother you? What did chickens, ducks, and fish do to bother you? How come you don’t go to Carrefour and ban the live fish counter? How come you don’t go to the wet markets and buy out all the poultry and then set them free? If you’re so niubi, stop eating BBQ. If eating dog meat is cruel, motherfuckers, are those bitches who eat stillbirth eggs [fertilized chicken eggs containing developing but unhatched chicks, which recently became a popular food item among some Chinese people] not cruel????

Hypocritical! Despise! Indifferent to humans, passionate about dogs, are you guys humans or dogs?

腾讯温州市网友 欧阳廷尉：

About 120 yuan on average per dog, uh, so expensive, you can go and eat steak for that amount.

腾讯上海市网友 rainy：

Humans are the most horrible, capable of doing anything!! Without demand, there wouldn’t be slaughter!! People should accumulate some karma for themselves!!

腾讯北京市网友 ≯雪无痕：

I suspect that it is a scheme to manipulate dog meat prices, disguising himself as a dog-lover to monopolize the dog meat industry, and tomorrow dog meat prices will increase several fold! No one is against loving dogs, but there’s nothing wrong with other people dealing in dogs for a living, but dog lovers preventing others from making a living is going too far!

腾讯葫芦岛市网友 ヾ愛笑啲﹎Bo：

We are all tiny living things of nature, why do we keep killing each other? Is dog meat supposed to be shared with humans? Screw the TM food chain, I’ll be a dog in the next life, and just TM eat humans… Those stupid humans who disregard and disrespect life, you just wait and see!

腾讯上海市网友 紫儿：

Support, support, for those dogs that have been saved, you are the angels in their dark world. Good people will have their just rewards.

腾讯芜湖市网友 星尘的回忆：

Reading all these hot-blooded replies just make me sigh. In China, there’s no harmony between the people and the , there’s no harmony between people and people, there’s no harmony between people and animals, there’s no harmony between commenters. Almost on every topic, regardless of how big or small, there can be a life and death struggle in commenting, making an utmost effort to prove others are idiots. Don’t know whether it is because Chinese people know too much, or nothing at all…

腾讯上海市网友 消逝的流年、：

Dogs are our most loyal friends, why hurt them?

腾讯海口市网友 镜子Jude：

Will this, in a way, encourage those dog dealers, making them transport more and more dogs? Because they know the dog lovers will come out and buy them?

腾讯沈阳市网友 沈阳二手车：

How to keep them, so many dogs, who would become stray dogs again when they run away, and then money will be spent to buy them again, sigh~~~